Triple Trouble
by LabRats14
Summary: It's not easy growing up in an Elephant Graveyard, with no food, water, and being raised by a single parent. A backstory to the hyena trio, how they turned out the way they did... and all the trouble they got into as pups. Series of one shots starring our favorite trio.
1. Chapter 1

**So… yeah. I just saw the Lion King for the first time in a while, and I realized just how much I **_**love**_** the hyenas! They're hilarious. So that got me curious and kinda hooked on the movies and tv show and books and whatnot… yeah. So this kind popped into my mind.**

**Hope you enjoy it, but can't blame you if you don't. this is definitely not your regular story (least, I don't think so).**

**This, if you get confused about ages, I'm just gonna refer to them like they age as humans. It's just easier than trying to calculate and everything… please just bare with me! Plus it's easier to kind of work our personalities and behavior.**

**And to all that are hoping for more Bedside Bonding, I am SOOO sorry to keep you waiting. I just got off of school and have just barely had time to start thinking about it again, and I just **_**can't**_** get the beginning right! I've got the middle worked out, but… gosh I hate writers block. So sorry if I've let you down, but don't worry, I **_**will**_** finish it! This was kind of an attempt to get the creative juices flowing, I'll admit. Part of it was just for fun. Anyway!**

**Oh, and I don't own Lion King. *sad sigh*…**

**On with the story!**

Three pairs of piercing yellow eyes narrowed as they zeroed in on their prey. They were all attached to bodies with sharp teeth and claws, crouching in a tense position, watching the poor creature that was about to fall to the trio's will. Poor thing would never see another day. With a growl, the group stalked a few steps closer, tensing…

The youngest (by less than an hour!) hyena pup leapt out of the brush and onto the rock, her two siblings appearing at either side. She opened her paws expectantly… only to find their 'prey' wasn't there. "Hey!" the pup sounded curious and disappointed, looking around. "Where'd ya go?" she gasped. There! The pretty pink and yellow insect was fluttering a few feet away, landing daintily on a blade of grass. "There ya are!" the five year olds got back into stalking position and prepared to try and catch it again, but young pups weren't known for their patience. So after a couple seconds they all decided it would just be easier to just pounce on it, now resting on a rock at the top of a hill.

So the triplets crept forward, the youngest in the middle of the huddle, her two big brothers on either side. "Ooh! My turn ta jump! My turn ta jump!" Banzai, the middle child of the litter, chanted quietly. The oldest, who seemed to be slightly maniacal, nodded enthusiastically, his unfocused eyes making him look even goofier, giving one of his infamous crazed giggles under his breath.

However, Shenzi, the 'baby sister', as her brothers liked to tease her, saw this as an opportunity. Time to make Banzai pay for a couple days ago. He'd tripped her up when they were climbing around on an elephant skull, and she'd fallen, painfully, to the ground. She'd sprained her ankle, and their mother wouldn't let her leave their home for two days, when she could finally stop limping and not have her foot pulse with pain every time she so much as moved it.

So, when her big brother went to pounce, so did the same, resulting in the two colliding. In an instant they were play fighting, clawing with their dull claws and biting with their harmless puppy teeth. The eldest, who really didn't act it, Ed, thinking it was some kind of game, let out a maniacal hyena laugh and added to the dog pile. Or, rather, puppy pile. And it was just enough.

The added weight sent the trio of young hyenas tumbling down the slope, no longer wrestling, just giggling and laughing, shrieking with joy, tumbling head over heels, playfully pushing each other, still tangled in a bunch.

When the bunch finally reached the bottom of the hill, they rolled a couple times before coming to a rest, still laughing, still in a puppy pile. Ed, then Banzai, then Shenzi on top, who accidentally rolled off. That just made her brothers laugh harder.

Narrowing her piercing eyes, she crouched down and prepared to pounce, leaping straight for Banzai. The siblings collided and rolled on the ground for a moment, Shenzi on top with her two front paws on his shoulders, pinning him down. "It's not _funny_!" she complained. Ed gave a maniacal cackle in the background and trotted over.

Both of his younger siblings shouted. "Shut _up_ Ed!"

The hyena pup whimpered and hung his head, ears flopping, tail drooping. The younger two immediately felt guilty. He may have been older, but he was still only five years old like them. And everyone knew, no matter what species, young children's feelings were incredibly easy to wound.

"Aw geez… sorry Eddy." The youngest apologized, hopping up, releasing her other brother, padding up to him. She nuzzled up against him for a moment, under his chin, against his chest. "I didn' mean it, ya know."

"Yeah!" Banzai agreed. "Really, we didn'."

"Yeah. It was all _his_ fault."

"Yeah I- wait, _what_?" the middle child frowned. "How is it _my_ fault" he narrowed his eyes. "_Baby_ sister."

"Ooh…" she growled. "Yer gonna pay for that." And with that she dove at him. By now Ed was laughing again.

…

"Sir, sir!" a brightly colored little parrot fluttered up to the king of the Pridelands. "Hyenas! We've spotted hyenas!"

"Hyenas." He growled out the word like poison. "How many?"

"Three." She gasped. "In the tall grass near the gazelle herd! Among the hills!" Ahadi was immediately on his feet and running in that direction, two lionesses at his side, one his mate Uru, the other Abiba.

…

As the two pups were wrestling, they failed to notice the figure approaching. However, _someone_ noticed.

Ed started shrieking, bounding up to his siblings, trying to get the attention of the clawing, slobbering, biting ball of rolling, growling fur that was his younger siblings. "Not now Ed!" Shenzi managed to shove Banzai, biting her forearm, off, leaping for him, sending them rolling yet again.

"Yeah!" the slightly older clamped down on his sister's ear. "We're bith-vy here!" he spoke, kind of muddled, around his mouthful of fur.

The tan form was creeping all the closer, and Ed gave another shriek and, desperate, pounced on his siblings. Thinking he wanted to join in as they ended up in another bundle, both burst into their classic, cackling hyena laughs, trying to untangle themselves, only making it worse. Ed, however, wasn't laughing for once. Well, not with humor. The only way he could communicate was throough laughter for some reason, but still.

'_L-L-Lions_!' he'd just managed to squeak out the word when a shadow fell over the triplets. They froze immediately, looking up… coming face to face with a mouthful of bared, snarling teeth as big as they were. For a moment the littermates could only sit there, quivering in fear as the lioness snarled down at them, another appearing at her side, and… a much bigger male.

The siblings did the only thing they could think of, screamed the only thing they knew would be able to help them. "_MOOOOOOOM-MYYYYYYY_!" and took off as fast as they could. The large predatory cats gave chase. Just pups or not, they were trespassing; a major offense. Punishment must be given.

…

In the Elephant Graveyard, the triplets mother lounged, grooming herself… until a faint cry made her ears prickle. '_MOOOOOOOM-MYYYYYYY_!' her yellow eyes widened. "My babies!" and without a second thought, Neema shot off, not hesitating to cross the barriers out of the barriers. Some nearby members of the clan followed, knowing their usually very composed matriarch wouldn't suddenly just run off, shrieking in rage, if it weren't important.

…

"Heeeelp!" Banzai dodged a lioness' snapping jaws, accidentally ramming into his sister.

"Ow! Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry!" he managed to get out sarcastically, panting. "Imma little busy tryin not ta get eatin!"

the pups had no idea where they were going, just trying to get away. Sadly, the unfamiliar terrain wasn't the only thing working against them. The pups were still naturally clumsy as it was, so running across uneven ground recklessly was sure to result in…

Suddenly, before she knew what was happening, her front foot caught on something- she didn't see what, probably a root or rock- and she was sent sprawling. "Ow…" she looked at her front paw; she'd twisted it pretty bad, with her luck it'd be broken.

Shaking her head, the female pup lay her head down, a tear sliding down each cheek. She intended to stay like that, but suddenly, a familiar head nudged her. "C'mon Shenz, gettup!" Banzai goaded, pushing her harder, glancing behind them. The lions were nearly there. "They're _comin_! Fast!"

"M-My leg hurts." She whimpered, wiggling her toes for emphasis. But even that made her yelp and cringe in pain.

For a few more moments her brothers were crouched beside their sister, trying to help her get up, but Shenzi, trying her hardest, just couldn't. She collapsed again, making the little girl cry harder.

Knowing they couldn't leave her, the boys tried in vain for a few more seconds… until a sudden gust of hot breath made them freeze. They all slowly looked up, meeting a pair of angry narrowed red eyes. The King opened his mouth- either to eat them or speak their punishment, they weren't sure- but never got further.

A grayish black blur slammed into his side, sending him away from the cubs. Neema stood there, panting, angry, practically shaking with rage. "You _dare_ threaten my children?!" she snarled. "I'll tear you limb from limb!"

Uru and Abiba growled and stepped forward, ready to pounce. Neema, who should've been terrified (yet was actually fueled by her rage), simply smirked. "Cute." Both looked angry. She just loved tanting the lions, always so temperamental.

While they had higher numbers, these lions had strength. The hyenas were lighter in build, built were sneaking and stalking and slinking around. She wouldn't risk loosing any of her clan, especially with her young pups nearby. Engaging in battle in front of them would, at the very least, scar them for life. They didn't need memories of a bloody battle so early in their young lives. She pursed her lips and narrowed her luminescent eyes for a moment, so it looked like she was simply analyzing the situation. "Grab them." With those simple, coolly spoken words, she whirled around, grabbed Shenzi by the scruff, and took off at her top speed. Her two most trusted females in the clan, Kivuli and Akili, each snatched up one of her sons.

The hyenas, while they were not as muscularly gifted as their rival species, made up for it with impressive speed. Being sleek, lithe, and slender really came in handy at times like this.

The group of five, not counting the pups, reached their home within ten minutes of chase. The moment they crossed the borders to the Elephant Graveyard, the lions stopped. Now that they were back in their own land, by law, they could do nothing to them. As long as they were inside their own borders, they couldn't legally lay a claw on them.

Ignoring the lioness taunts and complaints, Neema ordered her children be brought to her home with a simple flick of her head. The elephant skull that served as their den was the largest of them all, risen on the highest mound.

Banzai and Ed scrambled inside to seek out the darkest corner to hide, still shaken up beyond belief.

Neema gently set her daughter down on a pile of leaves and called her brothers out of hiding. They needed to be checked over for injuries. She'd been able to smell the blood on little Shenzi while carrying her, but hadn't been able to inspect any of them properly.

Curling around her youngest, Neema called again, softly, to the two boys, who hesitantly began to creep over. Once they arrived, they curled up against her stomach, and she gently grabbed Shenzi by the scruff, putting her down between her front paws. Tenderly licking her daughter clean, she inspected her front right paw. It was the same one she'd sprained before, which wouldn't help, and was bent at an odd angle. "Oh…" she cooed. "You poor thing." She gently went about cleaning her bloody, crooked paw, causing her to whimper occasional, tears building in her eyes.

"Shh…" she shushed her as she let out a soft sob, burying her face in her soft fur. "I know, I know…" she stroked her head. "Don't worry, I'll have Kuponya look at it, getcha all fixed up now, ah'right honey?" she whimpered and grit her teeth, nodding against her thick chest fur.

After comforting the little girl and demanding to see Kuponya, the expert healer of their clan, she brought the two boys in front of her inspecting them carefully… after giving them both a bath. Nothing too serious, she was very relieved to find, just a few scrapes and bruises. They were a bit sore, they informed her, but she assured them Kuponya would have something to ease the pain.

As the family of four awaited the doctor, the pups curled up between their mothers paws, cuddled up together, though careful not to touch Shenzi's leg. The litter fell asleep, feeling comforted and safe in her embrace. Neema nuzzled them; she loved her babies more than anything. She hoped things would always stay this way. She hoped their family always stayed just that; _family_.

**So… was it terrible? I'm sorry if this goes against the books/all Disney Lion King logic, or whatever, but like I said, this probably isn't your ordinary story.**

**Review please! Even if you hated it, please! I love feedback; it helps me be a better writer in the long run (even if hurtful hate can sting a little). Please review!**

**P.S. Sorry if it was too OOC.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, I'm back already! Yay! At least, it think so… never mind. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Lion King.**

The African Serengeti was usually a warm, dry place. The days were hot, the nights got cooler and more comfortable. They were peaceful and serene. At least, _usually_ they were. But not tonight.

The bad thing about Africa, while it was very warm and dry most of the time, rain always came in sudden, heavy bursts. It could last for up to a week, then it didn't come back for half a year or so. That's what was going on this certain night.

The sky was angry; that was how the triplet hyena pups, children of the matriarch, saw it. It had been booming and crackling for three days straight now, pouring water as hard down as it could.

Banzai wasn't sure what time of day it was, only that he and his siblings were _still_ stuck inside. And he. Was. _Bored_. There was nothing to do. Ed was curled up in the corner, gnawing contentedly on a bone. He couldn't get him to budge. Neema, their mother, had been coddling Shenzi like there was no tomorrow for six weeks now, three still till her paw healed from a run-in with the lions of the forbidden Pridelands, so she couldn't play with him either.

Banzai couldn't help but think about that. Those lions were so mean! They weren't causing trouble; it was that dumb butterfly's fault anyway! It had fluttered into their land, and Shenzi, being a _girl_, just had to get a closer look and chased after it. Seeing her having fun, the two boys soon joined in. it had lead them across the borders, and they'd been having so much fun, they didn't notice.

What was the big deal anyway? There wasn't much food here, and the Pridelands were so bright and nice. He loved his home already, so many adventures to have and places to explore, but… there wasn't much food. As children of the matriarch, they always had food in front of them when mealtimes came, but still. There wasn't enough food for everyone else. Why did the lions have to be so selfish?! There was more than enough food there for the lions and hyenas to share! So why must that awful _king_ be so stingy?!

Now, hyenas weren't exactly known for their selflessness, more for being sneaky, conniving, and tricky, but still. Neema was doing her best to shape them up well; as her daughter was going to be matriarch, and one of her sons would undoubtedly be alpha, considering she had chose not to betroth Shenzi, they needed to know how to be good leaders. That meant being caring and looking out for the others, but she by no means wanted her children to be _soft_, either. They would be fierce fighters, strong rulers that would keep everyone in good condition. No one would dare challenge them. They would know how to fight and ensure their dominance, but they'd care too. Maybe not noticeably, but they would. They would be good rulers. Neema was raising them well. Or at least, _she_ thought so.

Most hyenas were raised ruthless barbarians that cared about solely three things. Laughing, eating, and reproducing once becoming of age. She wanted her children to grow up as more than that. After all, heirs to the clan were the only ones raised to have more values, having ancient secrets and methods passed on to them. The leaders were raised to be intelligent and resourceful.

Banzai sighed again and padded over to the doorway, plopping down with a sad sigh, laying his head on his paws, watching the rain pound the ground, splashing slightly every time a drop hit. Speaking of which… a drop fell particularly close to him, bounced off, and landed right on his nose.

In response, the little sensitive black nose quivered slightly and gave a tiny sneeze. "Achoo!"

Neema looked over from combing Shenzi hair with her claws, coming her bangs back. "Bless you." She said, observing him for a moment. Her younger son was climbing to his feet, sticking his head out the door, giggling quietly to himself as he was splashed with water, sniffing the fresh, rainy air. "Banzai" she warned. "Don't go get all wet an catch yerself a cold." She warned. "If ya do, yer brother n' sister'll catch it too."

"Aw mooom…" he complained. "But splashin in puddles is fun!"

"It'is, huh?" Shenzi shook her mother's much larger forearm. "Mama? When w'll I be able ta go outside again?"

"When yer legs better honey."

"When'l that be?"

"Three more weeks."

"Awww…" a sulk overcame the young pup's face, ears flattening.

"Aw, don' worry." She licked her cheek lovingly, beginning to comb her hair with her claws again. "It'll go quick. I promise."

Her only daughter narrowed her bright yellow eyes. "_Promise_?"

"I promise." She put a pink flower beside her ear. "Now… don't you look just adorable!"

"Mooooom!" she shook the flower off, resulting in it landing, petals down, on her nose. She went cross eyed to look, before a pout formed on her face. "I _hate_ flowers." She blew it off. "'Specially when they're on my nose!"

Neema laughed good-naturedly and nuzzled her youngest pup. "I know. I do too." She licked the top of her head and smoothed down her hair again. "But you looked so cute!"

"Mom!"

She chuckled. "Sorry." She really wasn't.

…

Banzai hadn't listened to his mother. Yes, he knew she'd be angry when she found out, but he was just _so_ bored, he needed something to do! If he had to chew on another bone or take another nap, he'd lose it! He'd never be able to enter that home again!

And it would only be for a little while, and she _did_ always say little pups like themselves needed to burn off their energy and run around. She _also_ always told them to not run in the skull, ever since they'd broken her bone cage in which she kept their entertainment parrot and he escaped. So, in a way, he wasn't disobeying… one of her rules. The other sure, but one of them, not at all.

So he just continued to enjoy splashing around and getting muddy and soaked.

He was having a great, seemingly perfect time. But, as everyone knows, every action has consequences…

…

He was just about to pounce on a falling pebble, when he was suddenly yanked off the ground. He gulped and looked up, shivering, in fear _and_ from the chilly rain. "You are in _biiig _trouble, mister." Neema's voice was irritated; she hated being out in the rain. He responded by letting out a sudden sneeze, sniffling to himself. His mother simply rolled her eyes and headed home.

…

Neema cuddled her middle child close, who was shivering. The pup coughed, earning a look from his mother. "Cover your mouth."

"Yes mommy…" he mumbled.

As little Banzai lay there, curled into a miserable ball, shivering and sniffling and coughing, he went over the lesson he'd learned. No matter what, in any and _every_ situation, mommy is _always_ right.

…Being a puppy not allowed to play in the rain sucked. You always got stupid messages stuck in your mind.

Stupid rain.

**So… anyone? Yeah, it's been raining all day here, so I got this idea. Please review! I'll try to come up with another one soon!**


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